Relapse Prevention Programs in Hackensack, NJ – (201) 450-9668
Tackling drug addiction is a long and gradual process, with a combination of approaches needed to ensure ongoing abstinence and recovery. While detox enables the cessation of drug use and rehab treats the emotional and social aspects of drug addiction, relapse prevention programs are also needed in the weeks and months that follow formal treatment.
Relapse prevention is a broad term used to describe a range of treatment options, including 12-step support groups, sober living communities, group counseling, family therapy, skills development, and all other programs designed to help people avoid relapse. If you or anyone you know is struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction in Hackensack, it’s important to stay engaged with a relapse prevention program for as long as possible.
What is Addiction Aftercare?
Addiction aftercare describes all drug treatment programs initiated after medical detox and rehab, including all programs designed to help people avoid relapse and integrate with everyday life following treatment. Typical aftercare programs available in Hackensack include 12-step support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), SMART Recovery and other non-profit groups, sober living environments, and family therapy.
People react to treatment in different ways, with each person needed to commit to a program after speaking with their family and consulting with a professional counselor. Aftercare programs provide both psychological and practical support, with cognitive, behavioral, and motivational methods used to encourage positive lifestyle changes.
What is Relapse Prevention?
Relapse, also known as recidivism, takes place whenever someone returns to problematic drug or alcohol use following a period of abstinence. Aftercare support programs are often designed around the principles of relapse prevention, with counselors giving people the support and guidance they need to avoid making impulsive and compulsive decisions. In a typical relapse prevention system, counselors will help addicts to recognize potential triggers, avoid high risk situations, and develop the coping mechanisms needed to make positive lifestyle choices.
Common triggers that can lead to relapse include location and social proximity, anger, frustration, isolation, tiredness, sadness and much more. Many of these systems are based on cognitive and behavioral principles, with some prevention programs also using motivational techniques to encourage and reward positive behavior. Relapse is often experienced as a series of progressive stages, with emotional relapse followed by mental relapse and physical relapse. By learning to identify the stage of relapse as they arise, recovering addicts can become mindful of their thoughts and feelings before they influence negative behavior patterns.
Family Therapy
Family therapy plays an important role in many aftercare programs, with patients much less likely to relapse when they have access to family and community support. Family therapy programs differ widely depending on the institution or organization offering them, with methods typically borrowed from things like strategic therapy, systematic therapy, narrative therapy, and structural therapy. Instead of centering treatment around the individual in question, family therapists look at family dynamics and how they related to addictive behavior patterns.
Practical support systems may also come into play, with the family members of recovering addicts often able to provide accommodation and financial assistance while the patient gets back on their feet. If you or anyone you know is struggling with any kind of drug addiction problem, just call Hackensack Drug Treatment Centers at (201) 450-9668 today.